Mothers protest against ‘cruel cuts’

Mums and children facing eviction staged a peaceful protest at Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson’s constituency office yesterday to demand an end to the benefits cap. At least 11 families and 42 children face eviction from their privately rented homes in North Edinburgh due to ‘cruel’ welfare reforms.

The Benefit Cap has seen housing benefit payments slashed, resulting in rising rent arrears – and campaigners believe these figures may be just the tip of the iceberg. Some families have already lost their homes and have been uprooted, housed in totally unsuitable homeless hostels and filthy bed and breakfast accommodation.

The women from Royston Wardieburn Community Centre’s All About Me group were joined by supporters from campaign group Power to the People on the protest. Two more families have received notices to quit for 19 June – and the local campaigners are urging the city council to provide suitable accommodation in north Edinburgh before then.

One woman said: “There isn’t a worse feeling in the world when you have to pack all your belongings into bags and you know your kids are leaving their home for the last time. How can you explain something like this to bairns? These cuts are cruel – there’s no other way to describe them.”

In a prepared statement, the demonstrators said: “We, the people of North Edinburgh, call on Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Tories in Scotland, and the Westminster Government to halt their attacks on the most vulnerable sections of our society.

We demand the following:

• that Westminster scrap the Benefits Cap immediately.

• that Westminster provides adequate funding to build social housing as an emergency requirement . It was done in the post war period and it can be done again in 2017.

• that Westminster fully fund Local Authorities to allow them to pay full Discretionary Housing Payment to prevent further families from the trauma of losing their homes and being made homeless.”

The protestors also delivered a letter to Ruth Davidson. It reads:

The women also delivered a letter to Ruth Davidson. It reads:

Dear Ruth Davidson

We, people from north Edinburgh, are taking action at this Tory office today because the benefits cap introduced by your government is making mothers and children homeless and forcing them into appalling homeless hostels.

At least 11 families and 42 children face eviction from their privately rented homes in North Edinburgh due to the Benefits Cap – some have already been evicted and are in temporary homeless accommodation.

Two more families in North Edinburgh have been issued with Notices to Quit for 19 June. It is vital they are awarded Council temporary accommodation flats in the area before the eviction date.

Many more families thoughout the city, and throughout Britain, are in this situation, and unless something is done there will be more and more families made homeless as they are unable to pay their rent due to drastic reductions in their Housing Benefit.

We are demanding that the Benefits Cap be scrapped by the Westminster Parliament. If the Cap is not scrapped we will increase our resistance to save parents and children from the traumatic experience of homelessness.

We ask that you respond and inform us if you will press the government to abandon this inhuman policy.

We are also insisting that the Westminster and Scottish governments and the City of Edinburgh Council take measures to stop the families suffering homelessness. Will you, Tory councillors and MSP’s support these proposals?

• That Westminster provides adequate funding to build social housing as an emergency requirement . It was done in the post war period and it can be done again in 2017.

• That Westminster and the Scottish Government fully fund Local Authorities to allow them to pay full Discretionary Housing Payment to save more families from the trauma of losing their homes. This DHP should be paid automatically, in full, indefinitely, with full back-dating – in the same way as DHP is paid to cover the Bedroom Tax.

• House homeless families in decent flats in suitable areas – not in substandard hostels/ B&B’s. Temporary accommodation flats in the appropriate area should be provided, while the families are applying and waiting for permanent accommodation.

• Ensure temporary accommodation meets acceptable standards. Families put in the temporary accommodation hostels have reported examples of very poor maintenance and dirty conditions.

• Immediately repair empty houses and put back in use. Both temporary accomodation flats and regular council flats are lying empty for long periods. We have a list of such empty properties.

• Private sector rents must be regulated. Private landlords are making a fortune from often substandard and poorly maintained accommodation.

We trust you will issue a public response.

While no response has been received from Ruth Davidson so far, the fight will go on: two more families have received notices to quit for 19 June and the local campaigners are urging the city council to provide suitable accommodation in North Edinburgh before then.

North Edinburgh’s campaigners will also be joined by protesters from across the city on 29 June, when a demonstration will take place at the full council meeting at the City Chambers. Protestors will call for councillors to end evictions by reinstating full Discretionary Housing Payment to cover the rent shortfall.